Jigan Babaoja: Exploring humor and disability rhetoric in Nigeria's digital culture

This study examines the rhetoric of disability in Nigerian popular culture, with a specific focus on Abimbola Ibrahim, popularly known as Jigan Babaoja. Grounded in the field of critical disability rhetoric studies (Dolmage; Mitchell and Snyder; Garland-Thomson), the research explores how disability is humorously yet problematically portrayed through musical clips by prominent Nigerian artists such as Ahmed Ololade (Asake) and the late Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba (Mohbad), alongside Instagram and Facebook reels. By analyzing these media forms, this paper highlights the underlying societal attitudes toward disability and the role of humor in perpetuating stereotypes. Utilizing qualitative content analysis and discourse analysis, the study reveals that the normalization of mocking disability in popular media reflects broader societal prejudices. This research contributes to the discourse on disability representation in African contexts (Adams; Mji et al.), advocating for more respectful and inclusive portrayals in media. The findings underscore the need for critical engagement with how humor is used in relation to disability, promoting a shift towards more positive and respectful representations in Nigerian popular culture. This research contributes to the discourse on disability representation, advocating for more respectful and inclusive portrayals in media.